MOGADISHU, Somalia (BN24) — A Ugandan military helicopter deployed as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed Wednesday at Mogadishu’s international airport, killing five of the eight people on board, officials said.
Ugandan military spokesperson Felix Kulayigye confirmed the deaths and said the three survivors suffered severe injuries and burns. He added that the impact of the crash triggered munitions stored on the aircraft to explode, destroying nearby structures and injuring three civilians in the area.
The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, known as AUSSOM, said in an earlier statement that search and rescue efforts were underway to retrieve crew members and passengers from the wreckage. The helicopter crash-landed just before reaching the tarmac, AUSSOM said.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as smoke and flames billowed over the runway. “We heard the blast and saw smoke and flames over a helicopter,” said Farah Abdulle, who works at the airport. “The smoke entirely covered the helicopter.”
Somalia’s state-run SONNA news agency reported that the aircraft became engulfed in fire shortly after impact.
The helicopter was part of a Ugandan contingent contributing to AUSSOM’s mission, which has more than 11,000 personnel working alongside Somali forces to combat the al Qaeda-linked extremist group al Shabaab. The militants have waged an insurgency for nearly 20 years, aiming to topple Somalia’s internationally recognized government and impose a strict version of Islamic law.
Officials did not immediately disclose what caused the crash, and an investigation is expected.
